Ridenour headed to Iraq (11/2/04)

Brad Ridenour is doing his part to take a bite out of the conflict in Iraq.

In two weeks, the Portland police officer will travel to Iraq to work for a minimum of six months as an explosives detection K-9 handler.

Ridenour, 28, was offered and accepted the new job on Thursday. He resigned from his current position as K-9 officer at Portland Police Department on Friday. This morning he will meet his new K-9 and begin two weeks of training before he leaves for Iraq.

Early Thursday, Ridenour said, he was reading a story on the Internet on the beheadings in Iraq.

“I thought to himself ‘God I’m glad I’m not over there,’ and four hours later (Ken Licklider) calls me,” Ridenour said Sunday.

Licklider, the owner of

Vohne Liche Kennels located near Peru, called Ridenour with the job offer and told him that he needed an answer as soon as possible.

A half-hour later Ridenour called Licklider back and accepted one of the three openings.

The kennel is contracted by private military contractor DynCorp through the U.S. government to provide civilian law enforcement to re-establish police functions in Iraq, he said.

Ridenour added he contacted Licklider approximately seven months ago about the handler position, which was advertised on the kennel’s web site.

Ridenour said before he accepted the job on Thursday he thought about his family, his 5-year-old daughter Macy, his K-9 Vischa and “getting my head cut off.” He also sought advice from a fellow PPD officer.

“My thought was this looks interesting, let’s try it,” Ridenour said about his new job. “I’m always looking for something different to do.”

While in Iraq, Ridenour will miss Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family and his daughter’s Feb. 10 birthday.

“It’s not a problem leaving PPD, but it’s hard leaving my daughter, family and (Vischa),” Ridenour said, adding that he told his daughter, who lives in Anderson, that when he returns from Iraq he plans to move to Anderson to be closer to her.

“She was all for that,” Ridenour said.

He added he plans to keep in contact with his daughter through letters and hopefully phone calls while he is in Iraq.

“I’d hate to send her a letter because she can’t read yet,” Ridenour said, adding that he spent the day with energetic 5-year-old and will see her the next two weekends before he leaves for Iraq.

“It’s like turning your life upside down,” he said about his choice to take the job.

Ridenour has committed to working for six months in Iraq for $50,000, with the option to continue his employment for an additional six months for $70,000. Ridenour and two other handlers, that will be trained in the next two weeks at Vohne Liche Kennels, will join 22 K-9 handlers in Iraq that were employed by the kennel.

“From what I’ve been told our main responsibility is checking vehicles entering (military) compounds and to check suspicious packages at the airports,” Ridenour said. He doesn’t know where he will be stationed in Iraq, he added.

“I’m doing my part to help the rebuilding process in Iraq.”

Ridenour has been a K-9 officer for the past three of his seven years with PPD. He first became interested in becoming a K-9 handler when the Jay County Sheriff’s Department purchased K-9 Billy five years ago. He was able to see former JCSD K-9 officer Travis Weaver work with Billy.

Ridenour said his attachment to Vischa is closer than that of a handler and a K-9. She is his pet.

His previous drug detection training with Vischa is similar to the training he will be doing in the next two weeks with the explosives detection K-9.

“Drug dogs and bomb dogs indicate the same way,” Ridenour said. “It will be different because I have no idea what kind of dog I will get.”

He is also excited to see where his experiences in Iraq lead him.

“It’s is going to be an experience that I will remember forever. Where it will take me when I’m done I don’t know, but it will be exciting to explore that,” Ridenour said.

He added that when he returns to the U.S. he would like to continue working in law enforcement, but will focus on looking for employment in Anderson to be near his daughter.[[In-content Ad]]